Fire-escape



J.I B. SMITH. FIRBESCAPE.

Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

glllll N4 Pneus mvumgnpher. wnhiwm 0.a

portion of the lowering-rope.

UNrri-zn STATES JOSEPH B. SMITH, OF NORTH BUFFALO, PENNSYLVANIA.

VFiraiz-Escape.

' i SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters, Patent No. 288,131, dated November 6, 1883.

Application filed June 2E, 1853.- (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOSEPH IB. SMITH, a citizenof the United States of America, residing at North Buffalo, in the county of Armstrong and State of .Pennsylvania have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a iull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as'will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates to hre-escapes which are adapted to lower the inmates of a burning of the invention being to provide a means of escape which is simplein its construction and operation, not liable to be misunderstood or to become inoperative from the rough usage to which this class of devices are subjected during the excitement and confusion attending fires, and which may lie-readily controlled either by persons escaping or others upon the ground below.

flhe invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of devices, which will 'be readily understood from the following particulardescription in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the station-V ary portion of my improved fire-escape and a Fig. 2 is aseotion on the line a: :n of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section ofthe front portion of' a house,

f showing my improved fire-escape as applied to use.

The letters A A designate `two side pieces of a supporting-frame, these side pieces being Vconnected by a stoutA cross-piece, B, at their upper portions. In suitable threaded bearings formed in these side pieces, near their lower ends, is arranged a screw-pulley, C, around and in the grooves of which between the side pieces,is wound the lowering-rope D, said rope being wound around the screw a suiiieient number of times to prevent its slipping without turning the screw, and sustaining an ordinary load. Thelowering-rope, after leaving the screw at each end of the coil thereon, passesthrough guide-openings 'formed in a loosely-turning cylinder, E, journaled in the side pieces. Upon the top of the screw and over the coil of rope thereon is loosely arranged a curved clamping-shield, F, which is prevented from falling or sliding off the lscrew bysuitable shoulders, f, projecting above cleats c, attached to the inn( r sides of theside pieces. Upon the top of the shield F is arranged the inner portion of a check-lever, G, which is notched to fit upon the upper surface of said shield, and the inner end of said lever passes under and is held by a fulcruin-.loop, H, which is firmly secured to the side pieces. The outer end of the lever Gis provided with a depending cord, g, by which the lever mayv be operated to force the shield firmly against the coiloi' rope upon the screw, and thus checkA the lowering of the rope or regulate its descent when loaded. lever and the shield is secured a cross-bar, 1, through which pass clamping-screws i, lthe tips of which may be driven against the shield to'nornially limit its upward play.

The lowering-rope D is an endless rope, and the length of its depending loop is so regulated that it will touch the ground when depending froin the screw. When the stationary part of the apparatus is in its fixed position, a sufficient length of the rope to reach from Vone end of the coil to the ground is left entirely clear of knots or other obstructions to itssniooth passage around the screw, and when such portion of the rope is fully extended the other depending portion will support its passenger-securing devices in proper position'to receive passengers from the respective windows of the building. These passenger-sup; porting devices .consist of stirrups .K, firmly secured to the rope, and belts L, also rinly secured to splices or branch pieces Z of the main rope at a proper distance above the stirrups,

Immediately above the" respectively, to be buckled around the bodies 4feet' of two or three passengers, and two or three of the splices with attached securingbelts may be arranged closely together, in order Vthat as many persons may escape at the same time from one window. The splices or branches Z should be of proper length to ex- 2' v esami ytend inside of a window to a room, so that the inmates may buckle onthe belts while standing in the room.

-When the apparatus is not in use, the low-Y errug-rope is to be folded up carefully andY sons of the location of said apparatus and l. when to load on, and they will also give notice when the fire-escape is being used for iinproper purposes.

Vhen a fire is discovered in a building, the person or persons who first reach the window where the stationary part of the apparatus is' secured should open the window and throw out the boX containing the rope, and then immediately sound one orV both of the gongs by means of suitable hammers or hand-clappers,

Y which should be kept in an accessible and conspicuous place near the apparatus. These gongs will notify the other inmates of the house of the locationof the apparatus.

VA person wishing to escape from a window will seize a belt, L, and buckle it around the chest under the arms7 and then, placing one or both feet in a stirrup below, will take hold of the opposite clear portion of the rope and allow it to slip through the hands loosely as the rope descends on one side, -under the weight of the passengers. As fast as the passengers reach the ground they will unbuckle their straps and step off the stirrups, and these straps and stirrups, as will be readily under-V stood, will continue to travel, and thus ascend, so that the passenger-receiving portion of the rope will be elevated as fast as relieved of its passengers, and will be brought into position to receive a fresh load, the clear portionand passenger-receiving portion alternately changing position from side to side. As the rope descends withfits load the friction of the coiled prtion on the screw causes said screw to rotate and traverse its bearings longitudinally, the friction of the rope and of the bearings causing the screw to have a very smooth and 1 steady motion, which pays off the rope freely, and at the same time under such control that there is no yliability of slipping and precipitating the passengers to the ground.

The especial office ofthe checklever G is to enable a person occupying a position near 6o the stationary part of the apparatus to safely control the lowering of children, ladies, and other persons liable to become panic-stricken and helpless' 'during the excitement of a fire.

A cool person, having access to the check- 6 5 l lever or its operating-cord g, may strap helpless or confused persons to the lowering-rope, swing them clear of the windows, and by properly operating the lever can allow the loaded rope to descend gradually or Vstop it', as de- 7o sired, to receive other passengers'. y

By placing suitable guide-pulleys on the wall of a building the path of the rope may be diverted from directly in front of the windows to the sides thereof, in order -that the passengers may not be burned by flames `protruding from the windows.

The apparatus is readily removable from its supports, in order to be moved from room to room, as found desirable. 'A 8o The average size of t`he frame will be about ten inches deep, one foot wide and one and one-h alf foot high, th ou gh it may be made short er or longer, if convenience requires..

Having now fully described my invention, 8 5 what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a suitablysupported longitudinal-traveling screw-pulley, of alowering-rope coiled about 9o said screw, and having depending portions which are respectively clear and providedI with passenger-receiving devices, substantially as described. 2. The combination, with the side pieces, A A, firmly connected together and provided with threaded bearings, of the traversing screw-pulley arranged in said bearings, and the endless lowering rope provided with the passenger-receiving devices, and having la portion of its length coiled in the grooves of the screwpulley, substantially as described.

3. In a fire-escape, the traversing screwpulley arranged to operate alowering-ropc, and carrying one or more gongs, substantially as described. f

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. y

JOSEPH B. SMITH.

IOC

Vitnesses:

FRANK KIsKADDoN, VALBERT H. SLoAN. 

